U.S. admits to airstrike at civilian site

Residents say more than 100 people died in western Mosul neighborhood attack

The U.S. military on Saturday acknowledged for the first time that it launched an airstrike against the Islamic State earlier this month in the densely packed Iraqi city of Mosul, where residents say more than 100 people were killed.

"An initial review of strike data ... indicates that, at the request of the Iraqi security forces, the Coalition struck ISIS fighters and equipment, March 17, in west Mosul at the location corresponding to allegations of civilian casualties," the task force leading the coalition said in a statement, using an acronym to refer to the Islamic State.

Previously, the U.S.-led coalition had said officials were unsure whether the United States had conducted air attacks targeting the affected site in Mosul's al-Jadida district, where local officials say they have so far pulled at least 60 bodies from one destroyed building.

The U.S. military is conducting an initial investigation into the incident.

If confirmed, the attack would mark the greatest loss of civilian life since the United States began strikes on Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria in 2014. The allegations add to questions about the conduct of the campaign to recapture Mosul, where reports of civilian deaths are rising as government-aligned forces advance through a fiercely contested urban area.

Airwars, a U.K.-based monitoring organization, has raised the alarm about what it says is a surge in recent weeks of reported deaths caused by U.S.-led airstrikes. The conduct of the air campaign is under especially close scrutiny in the early days of the Trump administration, which has promised to wage a more aggressive campaign against the Islamic State.

President Donald Trump has already asked military leaders to consider whether requirements on U.S. military operations against the group should be loosened.

The U.S.-led coalition said its goal was "zero civilian casualties."

An Iraqi military commander suggested the large death toll in the March 17 incident may have been partially because a missile struck a car bomb, causing a giant explosion. Rescue workers and residents described scores of civilians dying in nearby buildings.

Altaf Musani, representative of the World Health Organization in Iraq, said in an interview from Amman, Jordan, that "it is our understanding that there was an incident and we have worked with the local health actors and they have confirmed more than 100 are dead."

He added that the organization's priority was quick treatment for those wounded.

Musani said that since the operations in Mosul began in October, there have been at least 5,300 referred to hospitals in and around the city. He added that since the attack on western Mosul began last month, "we have managed to capture more than 1,300" cases.

"When you take a better look at what those numbers mean, what is worrying for the WHO and aid actors is that roughly 30 percent of the total numbers are women," he said. "Roughly 30 percent of that large number are children under 15, and that is deeply concerning because of the capacities needed to treat those wounded coming out of the front lines."

Earlier Saturday, senior Sunni Muslim politicians expressed concern over reports of airstrikes that have allegedly killed civilians. Residents reported two airstrikes hitting a residential area on March 13 and 17. The Iraqi Defense Ministry provided no immediate comment.

In tweets published on his official account, parliament speaker Salim al-Jabouri said "we realize the huge responsibility the liberating forces shoulder" and call on them to "spare no effort to save the civilians."

In a statement issued on his website, Vice President Osama al-Nujaifi, himself from Mosul, described the incident as a "humanitarian catastrophe," blaming the U.S.-led coalition airstrikes and excessive use of force by militarized federal police forces. Al-Nujaifi put the number of civilians killed at "hundreds."

He called for an emergency parliament session and an immediate investigation into the strikes.

Information for this article was contributed by Missy Ryan of The Washington Post and by Sinan Salaheddin and Karin Laub of The Associated Press.

A Section on 03/26/2017

Upcoming Events